How to Sign a Document Electronically: A Complete Guide

What counts as an electronic signature?

US federal law defines it broadly:

“The term ‘electronic signature’ means an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.”

15 U.S.C. § 7006(5) · Official source

So the technology doesn't matter much. What matters is that you meant to sign, and that the signature is connected to the document. That's why the same idea is sometimes called an e-signature, an eSign or, loosely, a digital signature (which strictly means something more technical; see electronic vs. digital signature).

Three ways to make one

All three are electronic signatures. A typed name can count too; see is a typed name a legal signature? And a pasted image of your signature is valid but weak on its own; see is a scanned signature valid?

How to sign a document electronically yourself

The steps are the same on a phone or a computer:

1. Open Sign a PDF in any browser. No account.
2. Upload the document. A PDF, or a JPG or PNG photo of a paper document. On a phone you can scan the page with the camera.
3. Choose “Just me” and tap “Add my signature.” Draw it.
4. Place it on the signature line. Add other fields the document asks for: your printed name, the date, initials, address, phone, email, checkboxes or any text.
5. Tap “Finish” and download the signed PDF or send it by email.

It's free and unlimited, with no watermark. When only you sign, the document is processed in your browser and never uploaded. The signed PDF gets a final page with the date and time and the document's SHA-256 fingerprint, which anyone can check later at /verify.

On each device

• iPhone or iPad: Markup in Files or Mail (pen icon › “+” › Add Signature), or the browser method. Step by step.
• Android: the browser method, Adobe Acrobat Reader's Fill & Sign, or the pen tool in Google Drive. Step by step.
• Mac: Preview › Markup › Sign › Create Signature (trackpad, camera or iPhone).
• Windows: Microsoft Edge (Draw) or Adobe Acrobat Reader (Fill & Sign).
• Word files: save as PDF first. Why and how.

Every method compared in how to sign a PDF: 6 free ways.

How to get others to sign electronically

When you need a signature from a client, a tenant, an employee or a parent, use a signing request instead of emailing a file:

1. Upload the document and choose “Other people,” or “Others and me” if you sign too.
2. Tap “Mark where they sign” and place the box for each signer. Use “+ Add a detail” for anything they must fill in: name, date, address, phone, a checkbox, custom text, or “Ask for a document” so they attach a photo or PDF (an ID, a certificate).
3. Add up to 20 signers and choose whether they sign at the same time or in order.
4. Send it by email, text message, WhatsApp, or copy the link.
5. Get it back signed. You receive one email at the end with the signed PDF and its certificate of completion. Email reminders go out every two days (up to three) to anyone who hasn't signed.

Signers never create an account: they open the link and sign with a finger or mouse. The free plan includes 15 requests a month. Sending the same document to a whole group, each with their own copy? That's bulk send.

If you received a signing link

Someone sent you a document through DocuSign, Dropbox Sign, Adobe, MultiDocs or another service? Tap the link in the email or text. You'll usually be asked to agree to sign electronically, then guided through each field. You don't need an account or to pay anything. When you finish, you normally get a copy by email. If the link looks suspicious, check the sender's email address, and if in doubt, contact the sender by a channel you already trust before opening it.

Is it legally binding?

Yes, for nearly all private documents. The ESIGN Act says a signature or contract “may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form” (15 U.S.C. § 7001(a)). The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, adopted by 49 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, says the same; New York has its own equivalent law. When a law requires information to be given to a consumer in writing, ESIGN lets it be sent electronically only after the consumer consents (§ 7001(c)).

A short list of documents is excluded (§ 7003): wills and testamentary trusts, adoption, divorce and family law matters, court orders, some UCC transactions, and certain notices such as utility shutoffs, foreclosure or eviction on a primary residence, and cancellation of health or life insurance. Details in documents that can't be e-signed.

What makes an e-signature hold up

If a signature is ever disputed, you need to show who made it and that the document hasn't changed. Look for a service that records:

• The email address or phone number the personal signing link was sent to.
• IP address, device and browser.
• Date and time of each step.
• The signer's consent to sign electronically.
• A fingerprint (hash) of the final document so any change is detectable.

MultiDocs puts all of this on the last page of every signed document, with a unique code for each signer (MD-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX). More in are electronic signatures legally binding?